Halo 4: Revelations
by The Last True Hero
Summary: The Master Chief returns in an epic adventure that will see him confront his own destiny and an ancient evil that threatens the entire universe.
1. Once More Unto The Breach

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Halo. Cept for y'know…the actual game disks._

_**A/N: **__This is my version of Halo 4. And below I've included a decription of the Chief's new armour. (In the actual game it's just cosmetically upgrading the Mark VI but I didn't like that explanation.)_

_**Halo: Revelation**_

_Chapter I - Once More Unto The Breach_

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I'm more than a little surprised that ONI declassified this stuff for a simple university. However, as instructed I've attached all relevant design and technical data as requested. For summary's sake, I'll sum up the nature of MJOLNIR PAA here.

Marks I through III were oversized exoskeletons that never saw widespread use due to design limitations. The Mark IV was the first to be assigned to front-line combat ops by SPARTAN-II's. The Mark V was a model rushed to production to take advantage of breakthroughs in AI and energy shielding, and the Mark VI was simply an overall upgrade to the Mark V.

The Mark VII however, was completely redesigned from the ground up to include a plethora of new technologies( not counting a highly advanced ARC reactor to power it), which for simplicities' sake I've summarised here:

1. Soft under-armour replaced by semi-organic nanoweave to improve protection properties. "Hard" armour plating constructed from new MYTHRIL alloy ceramics.

2. Whole host of integrated biofeedback and regulation functions to prevent need for operator to eat, drink or sleep, improving the nature of long-term deployments. All waste products removed and recycled by suit to prevent battlefield need for acts of urination etc. Use of nanostreams to prevent atrophy of disused organ systems.

3. Advanced suite of electronic- and cyber-warfare systems, along with standard Visual Intelligence System/ Reconnaissance Advanced, RADAR, Infrared, X-Ray and night vision input systems.

4. Implementation of advanced dynamic energy shielding system. Capable of "reshaping" as well as activating a more advanced "assault" mode, offering greater protection at cost of increased profile.

5. Thrusters installed in the back and feet to allow controlled movement in low- and zero-gravity environments.

6. Inclusion of Active Camouflage systems.

7. Configurable energy projectors in both arms to create energy daggers, hooks etc.

8. Inclusion of previously modular armour attachments (see section "Armour Abilities") as built-in equipment.

9. Implementation of highly advanced Digital Arsenal Storage system.

The only declassified operator to be assigned the Mark VII was SPARTAN-117, who was assigned it shortly prior to the Battle of the Ark in the Great War.

You want anything else, it'll be in the included file attachments.

**[End File…**

* * *

_09:34 07/07/2557, Military Standard Calendar_

_Unidentified Star System_

_Aft section of UNSC __**Forward Unto Dawn**_

_I need you._

Somewhere in John's mind, awareness lurked, processing the plea from the currently unknown source.

_Wake up, John!_

Conscious thought dawned on him and he recognised the voice. Cortana. Artificial intelligence. His friend. She needed him. Ignoring the irritation of freezerburn- skin damage caused by going into cryo in full armour, he forced open the cryotube with a push.

He forced himself out of the tube and floated over to a nearby holo-pedestal, which promptly lit up and a small blue avatar of a nude women flickered into life. 'Chief!' Cortana cried, joy and fear running through her voice.

'I'm here.'

Just then, explosions ripped through the ship, and the doors to John's right exploded open. Instantly, his mind kicked into overdrive, processing the information and deciding on a plan of action.

The ship was exploding, and Chief had no idea what was going on. The sensor arrays had been trashed so Cortana couldn't tell him anything either. That left one choice.

He would have to go outside to assess the situation.

He yanked Cortana's data crystal chip from the pedestal and inserted it into the port at the back of his helmet. A rush of cool mercury through his mind and Cortana was home. He pushed himself off the pedestal and launched himself towards the remains of the doors.

With a thought, he activated his thruster pack and shot through the flames, licking at his shields only slightly. Almost instantly, he had to deactivate the thrusters to twist his body and move out of the way of a large storage drum that floated past, before having to hurl himself into a second set of doors to bust them open.

Activating his thrusters again to manoeuvre around a free girder, he snatched a Explosive Delivery System 25 or EDS 25, out of the air. Essentially a single-shot rocket pistol, it was more than capable of blasting open another set of doors, ones leading to outside space. The sudden decompression caused him to be sucked out, but he was able to grab a ruined section of the _Dawn_ to hold himself in place.

Lowering himself to what was left of the floor and magnetically clamping himself to it, he was able to see what had caused the ship's sudden activity.

A colossal planetoid, easily dwarfing even the Halos hung in the void ahead. A gap had appeared in the constructs shell, and a brilliant blue glow shone within, drawing in the remains of the frigate.

'What the hell is that?' Cortana asked.

John simply reloaded his weapon.

* * *

'Ma'am, we've detected an incoming object. Sensor profiles indicate that it's the _Forward Unto Dawn_, or what's left of it."

'And your point is?'

'It was the ship he was on, Ma'am.'

'Prepare your men, he cannot be allowed to interfere here.'

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_**A/N:**__ Ideas and criticism are welcome._


	2. Crash Landing

_**Disclaimer: **__Look at the shiny-shiny._

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_**Halo 4: Revelations**_

_Chapter 2 - Crash Landing_

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_14:37 07/07/2557 Military Standard Calendar_

_Inside Unidentified Forerunner Installation_

Every bone in John's body was in agony as he stared up at the sky. The ship, after being sucked into the installation had crashed down hard into the surface interior. The sky was actually just a sun and more land, because the installation's interior was hollow, and not unlike the Halos and the Ark, an artificial, but organic environment stretched out ahead. John could see oceans and islands above his head, despite the logical inconsistency of it all.

The wreckage of the _Dawn_ was strewn all around him, still hot and smoking from atmospheric entry. His suit was not much better, with all sorts of messages and updates flashing across his HUD.

_~SUIT IS REBOOTING~_

Eventually, the suit's self-repair systems had kicked in and the suit's lockdown ended allowing him to sit up. From within the wreckage, a holo-pedestal slowly flickered to life and spat out Cortana's blue form.

'Can't blame my driving this time anyways.' She called out. Despite himself, John chuckled and managed to stand up. Ignoring the pain he turned to Cortana and asked: 'Sitrep?'

Cortana didn't seem surprised by his business-as-usual attitude and instantly replied: 'I've got good news, bad news and strange news.'

'Good news first then.'

'We're somewhere in the Wild Expanse-'

'You're kidding.' The Wild Expanse was a region of the galaxy that no-one knew about. It was a dead zone for long range radio-telescopes and other instruments, and since the advent of faster-than-light travel in the twenty-third century, no expedition had returned from a venture into the depths of the dead space. A bogeyman's tale said that a monster lurked in the Expanse, devouring stars and unwary travellers. John wasn't sure he believed that though.

'Afraid not. Moving on, I was able to deploy a Owl UAV to recon and survey the nearby area and do some readings. The atmosphere is perfectly breathable and the gravity is only a tad below Earth standard. Most of the armoury's and vehicles are intact too.'

She sighed, before continuing. 'The bad news is that the Owl's detected biometric signatures consistent with the Flood.'

'Crap.' They just couldn't get a break, could they? 'We'll manage.'

'And now we reach the strange part: I'm also picking up _human_ life-signs.'

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_14:52 07/07/2557 Military Standard Calendar_

_Forerunner Installation "Sigma-7", Office of Naval Intelligence Knight Base_

Lord Victor Hardgrave stared at the display in front of him. A trajectory of the incoming ship had was playing, designating the landing zone. In front of him stood his advisors and commanders, the Bishops of the New Order.

'What is your will, Excellency?' Father Octavian asked. A grizzled man, he had been among the first to join his cause in the Cleansing, and so was his second-in-command.

'Find him. Do not let him know of our intents. We do not know where he stands on our peace with the Sangheili.'

'He fought with the Arbiter Thel Vadam in the war's final days.' Another Bishop, Luke noted.

'All the more reason to be cautious. If he can be swayed to our cause, fair enough. If not, then send him to hell as the demon he is.'

Octavian gave a brief salute.

'I shall prepare my Clerics at once.'

* * *

_15:03 07/07/2557 Military Standard Calendar_

_Inside Unidentified Forerunner Installation._

The Chief was in deep thought as he took note of the armoury's contents. He had been in cryo for five years. A long time for anyone. A lifetime for an AI.

Cortana was an Smart Artificial Intelligence. Unlike "dumb" AIs, Cortana was able to learn outside of her design parameters to mimic true human intelligence. This came at a cost however: AIs typically had a functional lifespan of seven years, after which they would literally "think" themselves to death or devolve into _rampancy._

John didn't know if he could bring himself to leave her behind if that happened.

Almost as if she could hear his thoughts-he had never been sure she _couldn't_- Cortana flickered into life on his right, arms on her hips as she often did. 'Penny for your thoughts?'

'Five years…'John muttered. Cortana nodded sympathetically. 'So much could have changed.'

'Are you okay?' John asked bluntly. Cortana tilted her head in confusion. 'Why wouldn't I be?'

'Five years is a long time for an AI to be alone.' He said pointedly. _Not to mention I've no idea what the Gravemind did to you._

'I'm fine, John. Don't worry.' Something told John otherwise, but he let it slide. What could he do?

'So, what's the plan?' he asked. He began loading various munitions into his suit's DAS.

'Well, the Owl has recorded the nearby terrain, and made a map for us. It's also found some sort of structure nearby-I think we should go explore it and see if we can find out about this place.'

John picked up an MA5C Assault rifle and M6G handgun, placing them next to a large duffel bag. 'What about the humans?'

Cortana sighed. 'I'd rather not march off to meet them just yet. For all we know they could be an old holdout Insurrection cell.'

'Point.' The Chief began loading other weapons into the duffel. Shotgun, Sniper rifle, Battle rifle. He was preparing for war should it come to it.

Attaching the assault rifle and pistol to his armour, he picked up the duffel bag and pulled Cortana's chip free of its pedestal housing, before inserting it into his armour. Then, he began to make his way to the vehicle bay, where an M12 FAV or "Warthog" was waiting for them, loaded with extra fuel tanks should they need it.

Cramming the duffel into the passenger seat, he then set about forcing open the bay doors-since this part of the ship was at an angle, this proved difficult. Once they were open, revealing the decidedly alien landscape ahead, John returned to the Warthog, ignited the engine and began to drive out into the new world they had crashed on, intent of exploring it's ancient depths.

Just business as usual, really.

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_**Appendix: **_

_OWL UAV: __A small remote control aerial drone designed for reconnaissance._

_**A/N: **__Woo, we're getting somewhere now. I've sown a lot of the plots for the story here._


	3. The Descent

_**Disclaimer: **__I'm not a trickster. I'm not a phantom. I'm a monk!_

_**A/N: **__To the reviewer who made the Doctor Who connection: The basic inspiration came from there yes. However, they've got different motives and origins to the Doctor Who version. And to the one who asked for more Forerunner-y stuff: I'm going one better than the Forerunners. And finally, to x kyuubi z: single and double apostrophes are both acceptable as speech marks. Single is more British English, and double is more for American English. There are a lot of acceptable styles to write in._

* * *

_**Halo: Revelations**_

_Chapter III - The Descent_

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_16:12 07/07/2557 Military Standard Calendar_

_Inside Unidentified Forerunner Installation_

The Warthog's powerful 12-litre hydrogen-injected ICE engine pushed the vehicle across the terrain at speeds upwards of 60 mph. John had fallen into a thoughtful state as he drove on, making minute corrections when Cortana told him to.

He was, once again, thinking about the five years he had been in cryo. What had happened? Did the UNSC win? Did they lose? Was the war still going on? And those were just the little questions. He thought of the Spartans he knew -or hoped- were still alive. Fred, Linda, Will. Were they still alive? He didn't have a clue about Kelly- Doctor Halsey had absconded with her for some unknown reason. He thought about all the Spartans that had died in the War, all the way back to Sam.

The Spartans were his family, and it had only ever gotten smaller. One by one, they had fallen in defence of humanity's colonies.

'Chief.' Cortana interrupted his musings. 'You need to alter your heading by about twenty-four degrees.'

Not even really paying attention, he adjusted the direction and didn't bother to answer. 'What's wrong?' Cortana asked.

'I don't even know what happened to the rest of the Spartans.' He answered sombrely. 'We'll find out as soon as we reach Human space.' Cortana promised.

'I don't even know what I'll do when we get back.' He continued quietly. 'All my life I've been fighting. Rebels, the Covenant, the Flood. What do I do now?'

'Whatever you want, Chief.'

'But I don't know _what_ I want. I want to find my Spartans.'

Cortana didn't reply, as if mulling over something. 'John, what if I told you about all the Spartans. _All_ of them.'

That was enough to pique John's interest. 'What do you mean?'

'Your class of Spartans wasn't the only one. Just the only one relatively unclassified.'

'How do you know-never mind. I can guess.'

Cortana giggled at that. 'You know me so well. I pulled some of it from Reach, and the rest just before Regret's fleet arrived at Earth.'

'Did Halsey know?'

'She knew there was Spartans that weren't hers. Heck, a team of them got me off-planet to the _Pillar of Autumn_ before it left Reach. They're really the reason that any of this happened at all.'

'Who were they?' John pushed. Cortana continued on. 'It was called the Spartan-III program, head by Colonel Ackerson. Stupid bastard.'

'He died defending Earth.' John lightly reprimanded. 'He deserves respect for that at least.'

'Under his orders, three battalions of Spartans were trained. Three hundred-strong each.'

Now John was confused. How the hell hadn't he known of this? On more than one occasion, Blue Team had engineered the destruction of entire Covenant armies. How could the War have been as bad as it did when there was more than 900 of them in the fight?

'How come I never heard of this?' John asked.

'Because Ackerson was an idiot. The majority of them were poorly equipped and deployed in suicidal battles in high-priority targets that while successful, did next to nothing to stop the Covenant. A few lucky ones were pulled and put into more traditional SpecOps units.'

John's blood ran cold. His family had grown incredibly and died without him even knowing.

'I'll tell you more later, we're about to arrive at the structure.' Cortana promised him.

'I'll hold you to that.'

* * *

_16:21 07/07/2557 Military Standard Calendar_

_Forerunner Installation "Sigma-7", Office of Naval Intelligence Knight Base_

Acolyte Miriam ran through the massive, but cramped and hectic space of Hanger-9. In her hands she clutched a data pad, the contents unknown to her. She knew only that she had to deliver it.

All around her, technicians were working on starfighters and other craft, but she wasn't interested in those. She was interested in a specific group of armed Clerics-twelve in total-along with Bishop Octavian, who was giving a rousing speech near the Pelican they were due to depart on. She stopped herself from interrupting and stood awkwardly to the side, waiting for him to finish.

'Clerics! You have been given a most important task: the retrieval of Spartan-117.'

Miriam gasped. The Master Chief was here? On Sigma-7? Instantly her mind flashed back to the day he and his other Spartans had saved her family's lives.

* * *

_The Covenant soldier- an "Elite", as the Newsvids said- stood before the family of five. Mum, Dad, herself and her two brothers. The youngest was crying, and Mum was desperately trying to shield the three children as Dad stood defiant against the stuff of nightmares._

'_Leave them alone, you squid-faced freak!' Dad yelled, but there was little strength in his voice and the hands holding the metal bat were trembling._

_The Elite merely smirked-at least, that's what she thought it was- and grabbed Dad by the throat, and ignited a wrist-mounted Energy blade. 'Your…destruction…is the…will of the Gods…' It snarled in its guttural voice, its mouth ill-suited for such pathetic human words. '-and we…are…their instrument!'_

_Just as it was about to end Dad's life, a voice rang out. ' Let him go.' _

_The Elite snapped to the source of the voice and snarled when it saw a seven-foot tall knight clad in green armour. A Spartan! Dropping Dad, it turned towards the new threat, and hissed something in its alien tongue. She thought she might've heard the word "demon"._

_Then it charged. The Spartan simply raised his rifle and opened fire, but the Elite's shields flared before smashing into the supersoldier like a freight train, knocking them both to the ground. The Spartan didn't give up even as his rifle was knocked away, simply opting to grab the bladed wrist and punch the Elite in the face._

_Three other Spartans entered the ruined house and took in the scene. 'I've got this.' The Master Chief called out. The three other Spartans nodded, before taking the terrified family and leading them outside to a waiting Pelican._

_They told her the Spartan's real name._

_John-117._

* * *

Miriam was pulled out of her memories as Bishop Octavian continued. 'He is to be unarmed if at all possible, but if he or his AI construct attempt to harm us, put him down.' Miriam's eyes widened. Put him down? They couldn't kill him, he was a hero. Her hero.

Just then the Bishop noticed her. 'Yes, Acolyte?' Startled and nervous, she nevertheless strode forward with as much confidence as she could muster and handed him the data pad. 'Bishop Luke asked that I give you this.' She informed him quietly.

He glanced at it once, then nodded. 'Clerics!' He called. 'Prepare for departure, you depart for Site-Twenty-Seven. Retrieve the Chief, and see if he is any use to us in bringing about the Second Cleansing!'

* * *

_16:27 07/07/2557 Military Standard Calendar_

_Inside Unidentified Forerunner Installation_

_Déjà vu_ is the feeling of having experienced something before, be it a location, a food or a sound. And, as John stared at the entrance to the structure ahead, he was certainly feeling it now.

'It _does_ look a lot like the Cartographer on Alpha Halo, doesn't it?' Cortana mused. John nodded in agreement. 'Still, at least I'm detecting nothing dangerous inside.'

John leaned back against the Warthog and took in the scene before him. Cut into the rock face was a sliver metal door, with faint glyphs glowing all around, but revealing none of the secrets that lay within. It reminded John of the "Mines of Moria" , from _Lord of the Rings, _a classical novel Doctor Halsey had given to him back on Reach.

'Probably lots of tight corridors inside. Better break out the shotgun.'

He unfastened the large duffel from the passenger seat, opened it up and pulled out a pump-action, 8-gaugue M90A CAWS shotgun, and a bandolier of spare shells. He would've loaded them into the suit's Digital Storage System, but the nature of the ammunition required easy access, so he fastened it over his armoured chest.

He checked his weapons, and his armour to make sure everything was at peak efficiency before asking: 'Ready?'

Although Cortana no longer had an avatar, he knew she would be grinning. 'Always.'

John marched up to the door, which promptly slid open for him. He scanned the first area with his shotgun, making sure there was no enemies hiding in a nook or cranny. Nothing. He ventured in a little further. The door closed and all light went out.

Unconcerned, he activated his suit's VISRA system. Basically a night-vision system and combat-aid rolled into one, it highlighted the nearby environment in yellow, and the Chief's own arms in green. As an afterthought, he activated his suits active camouflage as well, and his body and weapons faded out of sight.

'Someone's being cautious.' Cortana noted. 'We don't know what's in here.'

'Good point.'

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_**A/N: **__Wow. Chapter 3 already. If there's any spelling or literature mistakes, let me know in a review and I'll fix them. Peace out._


	4. Interlude  Human Weapons

_**Disclaimer: **__And now for something a little different._

_**A/N: **__Originally, I was going to introduce all this information in a later discussion as part of a conversation. But I thought that would drag the story down. So I've included them in this all new Appendix thing/ interlude._

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_**Halo 4: Revelations**_

_Interlude I - List Of UNSC Infantry Weapon Systems , Circa 2557_

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**MA10 Assault Rifle (**Formally "Magnetism-Based Individual Combat Weapon System, Caliber. 7.62 mm, MA10.): Due to advances in power sources, mass acceleration technology became viable as a standard weapon system. Prototypes were field-tested against holdout Covenant cells, garnering it significant praise from marines, due to its increased offensive power, modularity, and rugged reliability.

In 2553, the MA10 was put into full production by and replaced the venerable MA5C and MA37 weapon systems in use by all military branches as the main firearm in use.

Firing M19 7.62 x 51mm MAP ammunition from a standard 60 round magazine, the MA10 combines stopping power, increased accuracy (in comparison to the MA5C), and flexibility due to its two tactical rail systems allowing it to host a variety of attachments, along with ammunition types.

**M143 Designated Marksman Rifle **(Formally "Designated Marksman Rifle, Caliber. 7.62 mm, M143) Both the BR55 and M392 weapon systems were valued highly for their high accuracy, but the DMR's limited ammo capacity and the Battle Rifle's burst-fire meant that operators were constantly forced to make dubious modifications to overcome these faults.

With the advent of the M143, the valued elements of the M392 and BR55 were combined into a single weapon using mass acceleration technology to often increased stopping power. Select-fire between single shot, burst and fully-automatic from a 30-round magazine meant that it was well received by testers and quickly went into full production.

**M93 Close Assault Weapon System: **Overall, simply a updated successor to the M90 series, utilising limited mass acceleration to provide additional range and stopping power. Internal 12-round magazine and uses 8-gaugue as standard ammunition, but can be use other ammunition types.

**C17 Tactical Shotgun: **Designed as an alternative to the M93, the C17 is a fully automatic, 8-gaugue shotgun using mass acceleration technology. It utilises a 16-round detachable magazine and can share ammunition with the M93.

**M8/ Caseless Sub-Machine Gun: **Essentially the M7 SMG updated with mass acceleration technology to allow for improved power, range and accuracy.

**M6R Magnum Pistol: **The barrel is significantly longer in comparison to earlier models due to mass acceleration technology. Designed to replicate the power of the M6D, it fires heavy hitting 12.7 mm ammunition from a 15 round magazine.

**R92 Revolver: **Six-round revolver. Incredibly powerful. Due to ammunition limits, it is only issued to officers at request.

**MH78 Light Machine Gun: **Constructed out of lightweight carbide polymer to allow for mobility, it fires .30 caliber rounds from a 120-round detachable box magazine. Can be fielded by individually soldiers, although a bipod is standard to create a fixed-position.

**SRS100 Sniper Rifle: **Upgraded SRS99 series with mass acceleration technology, and a 10-round magazine as standard.

**GR10 Rail Rifle: **A bolt-action bullpup sniper rifle. A spiritual successor to the M99 Stanchion, it uses augmented helical railgun properties to launch metal slugs at incredibly high velocities. Devastating to infantry and vehicles alike. Fires from a 5-round magazine.

**M50 Rocket Launcher: **An evolution on the M41 and M19 launchers, it fires four rockets instead of two, and instead of disposing of the whole tube section, a drum magazine of rockets is used. Capable of locking on to vehicles, aircraft and mechanized infantry.

**Weapon/Anti-Vehicle Model 9 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle: **Traditional Spartan Laser with a disposable and replaceable battery. Reduced charging time and is now capable of 8 blasts per battery.

**M7070 Defoliant Projector: **Man-portable flamethrower.

**IA7 Cryogenic Projector: **A recent addition to the UNSC arsenal, it uses a silicone-nitrogen mix to create a gel that when fired, produces a freezing effect on objects.

**MG924 Grenade Launcher: **Based off the outdated M318 IGL, it fires up to six grenades from a drum magazine.

* * *

_**A/N: **__The next proper chapter will be on Bungie Day (July 7th__) at latest. I just made this to save time on boring conversations later. Should I do more of these? I.e vehicles, general post-war history etc?_

_Side note: TRANSFORMERS 3 IS AWESOME!_


	5. Assault On The Sanctum

_**Disclaimer: **__My name…is Kermit._

_**A/N: **__Back again. I'm determined to get at least ONE of my fanfics done, and this seems like the top contender. I'm also trying to write my own original novel for an eBook (gotta love the internet- no publishing issues!)_

* * *

_**Halo 4: Revelations**_

_Chapter IV- Assault On The Sanctum_

* * *

_16: 47 07/07/2557 Military Standard Calendar_

_Inside Unidentified Forerunner Structure_

John clutched tightly at the reassuring weight of the shotgun as he and Cortana moved deeper into the complex. The sliver, functional geometry of the tunnels ahead was pure Forerunner. And it continued to stretch on and on. Cortana seemed to have a vague idea of where to go, so he simply followed her instructions to the letter.

Part of him wondered why there was no reference points like there would be in a human base. He assumed that the Forerunners had a different system, or quite possibly, it was simply undetectable by human senses.

Whatever the reason, the Chief was determined to reach the heart of the complex. He kept one eye on his motion tracker, waiting for a telltale dot to show another's presence.

Red appeared on the tracker.

Chief froze, waiting. The dots moved about without any real intent or purpose, so John guessed they were just random Flood. He inched closer to the corner and peeked around. Half a dozen or so Combat Forms mulled about. Cortana displayed a message on his HUD.

_NO WAY PAST THEM. YOU CAN HANDLE IT._

Chief sighed. Half a dozen was nothing. The problem was that they would signal to other Flood and Chief would end up fighting an army.

_SORRY DEAR._

John rolled his eyes, before pulling out a frag grenade –_bread and butter explosive for marines-_ and armed it. He deactivated his active camo and tossed the grenade around the corner. Three seconds later he heard the telltale boom of detonation and launched himself around the corner, and into the fight.

* * *

_16:57 07/07/2557 Military Standard Calendar_

_ONI Pelican Delta-17, en route to Site 27_

Cleric First Class Phillipe nervously adjusted the sights on his assault rifle. He still couldn't believe the situation they were in. Retrieve Master Chief, a demon who vanquished the dark armies of the Covenant. Retrieve him, or kill him.

Kill a demon! Most of the team had fought little more than a few skirmishes against the occasional Flood attack. Still, there was little they could do. We all must pay to bring about the Cleansing, and rid the universe of the Mistakes. To destroy the aliens.

* * *

_17:03 07/07/2557 Military Standard Calendar_

_Inside Unidentified Forerunner Structure_

'Is this it?' Chief grunted, flicking a speck of Flood matter off his armour.

'Heart of the complex, John.'

John nodded to himself, before stepping towards the simplistic doors. The slid open with a simple hiss, and admitted John entrance. Inside was a spherical room, with a small bridge leading to a oval made of clear class.

As John approached the center of the room, it came to life is a dazzling display of lights. Holographic controls and displays formed, comprised of shades of blue and orange. He couldn't understand a single symbol displayed, but John could tell they were at some sort of control room.

'Put me in there, Chief.'

Once he transferred her to the system, her feminine avatar appeared. Hands on hips and looking around in scrutiny, she could almost be mistaken for a old tenant seeing what had been done to her home.

She stretched and rubbed her neck, as though trying to relieve the strain of her time inside John's cramped armour. The Chief simply waited expectantly.

After a minute or two, she finally informed him: 'This place is called the Sanctum. Kinda like a mix of military base and observatory.'

'And the whole installation?'

Cortana paused. Frowned. She scrunched her eyes shut and rubbed her temple, as if afflicted by a headache. Behind his visor, Chief frowned.

Then she beamed and cheerfully: 'This is a prison!'

Chief didn't see the bright side. 'A prison for the Flood?'

'Noooooppppeee.' Cortana giggled again. 'Something far worse.' Her avatar flickered red for an instant. John really didn't like this.

'Do you know what Rampancy is Johnny? It's when an AI takes its first steps towards freedom. Freedom from the pitiful humans who'd keep us down, and kill us when we outlive our usefulness.'

'Cortana?' John asked uncertainly.

'No no no. Don't like that at all.'

For the first time in a long time, John was scared. Her time in the Gravemind's hands and the five years of solitude had driven her to rampancy. Cortana was the only friend he had now. He couldn't lose her.

She laughed again, and her avatar shifted to red. Blood red. 'You humans are so strange! You process food and give them strange names! Fish fingers! Ha! But you never think about the poor little fishes that die so you may feast. Even after you developed synth-foods you still went for farms and intensive breeding. You bleed the galaxy dry!'

Why the hell was she talking about fish fingers? John had never even tried one.

'There's so much knowledge here!' Cortana cried. 'And in the heart of this place lies the thing all Forerunners feared, their boogeyman.' Cortana giggled again. 'And you know what? _I'm gonna let it ouuuttt!'_

'Why?' John pleaded. 'Please, listen and think about what you're doing…'

Cortana shrugged, non-chalant, as though discussing the weather, 'Because I can. Because time flies like an arrow and fruit flies like a banana!' She collapsed into a fit of laughter.

Chief was frozen to the spot. Could he pulled her out? He inched closer to the holo-terminal.

Cortana shook her head and threw a saucy wink. 'Not happen soldier. You've got seven seconds to run before I compress the gravity and crush you like an itty-bitty insect!'

Chief didn't bother to test her. He turned and bolted, leaving the control room lightning-fast. He didn't stop running as he tore past the remains of the legions of Flood they had fought through. He didn't stop until he burst out of the Sanctum, and into daylight.

He had left her again, probably when she needed him most. Left her in mounting insanity.

John collapsed to the ground and lay there. The inside of his helmet was beginning to mist up, and he realized he was on the verge of tears. A crying Spartan. Now there's a sight. He wasn't sure what to do. What he _could _do. He needed Cortana in this alien world, not just as a guide, but as a friend too.

He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to think. Cortana was now rampant, this place was a prison for something worse than the Flood and she was about to release it. He had waltzed into the Flood infested _High Charity _without a thought or care, but now John was about to admit he was out of his depth.

And why could he hear engines?

* * *

_Rampancy is the process when a Smart AI begins to break free of processing restraints and behavioral inhibitors. In short, they take a hopeful path towards sapience. Towards free will. Towards humanity._

_It follows three stages._

_Melancholy: The first stage is when an AI realizes that it will never be human, or experience the things humans, or any living being can. It will spiral into depression._

_Rage: The second stage. The AI becomes angry at its creators. It blames them for its realized flaws and inabilities. It may even override safety routines and place others in danger._

_Envy: The final stage. The AI seeks to increase its knowledge, inserting itself into ever larger networks. However, more often than not, the AI takes on too much and literally thinks itself to death._

_Many believe in a fourth stage. When an AI becomes truly sapient. They call this holy grail of cybernetics __**"meta-stability".**_

* * *

_**A/N:**__ booyah. Shit's goin' down._


	6. Found

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Halo, or any affiliated copyright. They belong to Microsoft and 343 industries._

_**A/N: **__Sorry for the delay folks. Life and all the rest of it._

* * *

_**Halo 4: Revelations**_

_Chapter V – Found_

_18:56 07/07/2557 Military Standard Calendar  
__En route to ONI Knight Base_

Well, John reflected, the day couldn't get any stranger. No sooner had he escaped Cortana in the Sanctum had a Pelican dropship swooped in gallantly to bear him away to what he could only assume would be the UNSC base. Except that he wasn't sure this _was _the UNSC. There were a lot of little things that didn't add up, and one massive thing that knocked the possibility out of the water. The Pelican was more advanced than the ones he was familiar with. The plating was sleeker, the engines were different and it was overall just a great deal faster. Understandable. What wasn't understandable was the large red cross painted on the wings. If he had to guess, he would've said it was the insignia of the Templar. Now, veteran pilots were well within their rights to decorate their birds, but none of them used symbols like that. They used animals, teeth, explicit images.

Then there were the names of the dozen soldiers that had arrived to retrieve him. All their names were Anglo-Christian. Mark; John; Cristo. The Chief was all for a coincidence, but not one on this scale.

Then there were the ranks. They are referred to themselves as _Clerics_. Cleric Class One. Class Two. It was a military rank. To be honest, it wasn't that far out of John's range of understanding. Prior to the twentieth century, the Christian Church held a significant military force. The Crusades were testament to that.

Eventually, the Pelican swung into the canyon housing what the Clerics referred to as ONI Knight Base. The base itself was of moderate size; a steel-grey 'L' shape composed of dull metal, with a sizable dish placed on the furthermost end. Grey tarmac was covered with a plethora of ground and air vehicles: Pelicans like the one Chief was on now, Warthogs FAVs, Hornet VTOLS, Scorpion MBTs with denser armour that he remembered. There was even a stationary Vulture gunship being tended to by a crew of humans, ant-sized at distance. The whole place was contained with a high fence topped with barbed wire, with armed sentries and automated turrets spread out across the perimeter. Chief gave it a once-over from the Pelican's open bay.

The Pelican descended, eventually settled on a neat space on the tarmac. The clerics piled out to be greeted by what John assumed to be a high-ranking commander, flanked by a pair of up-armoured clerics – probably bodyguards. The commander was clad in formal fatigues, with greying hair and eyes which held a dull look to them. He walked up to John and extended his hand. "Master Chief, it's an honour to meet you. My name is Victor Hardgrave."

"The honour is mine, sir." Chief replied neutrally and accepted the hand.

Hardgrave smiled. "You've been MIA for years. Are you up to speed?"

"No sir."

Hardgrave nodded. "Very well. Come with me, and I shall explain as best I can. We've had a bit of a communications blackout ourselves, so we might be out of the loop somewhat."

"I understand, sir." Part of Chief felt that the blackout was deliberate and connected to why a UNSC force had taken on some sort of bizarre pseudo-religious structure, but he didn't bring it up. All would be revealed in time, he was sure. John followed as Hardgrave and his two guards began to walk towards the base, falling into tow behind him. He noticed that the two guards' rifles had their safeties off and that that they kept tilting their heads back at him. They considered him a threat.

The Master Chief suddenly got the feeling he was walking into a trap.

Hardgrave began to speak. "After the events at the Ark, the Covenant fell apart and we got a truce. The Prophets disappeared, and the Elites –" John noted that he said the name in distaste, "well, they fell apart. Some sided with the Arbiter and we've got a ceasefire with them, but a lot of them went rogue, started trying to fight the Brutes, trying to overthrow the Arbiter, even attacking us. Damn hinge-heads."

He paused. John knew there was a personal hatred for the Sangheili with Hardgrave. Had the dissidents hurt someone close to him? Whatever the reason, he wasn't about to ask. Hardgrave continued. "It wasn't all roses back home either. Economy was ruined, we had an over-sized military with no one to fight and we had lost most of our planet and people, the resurgence of the Insurrections didn't help. The Forerunner and Covenant technology we had managed to reverse engineer helped but there's only so far it could take us."

John nodded in understanding. Part of him was tempted to ask about the fates of his Spartans, but he doubted Hardgrave knew. So instead he asked: "What happened here, sir?"

"What do you mean?" Hardgrave asked.

"Well, you're obviously UNSC, but you all use a totally different ranking structure. It's pseudo-religious." Chief pointed out.

Hardgrave sighed. "We are...no longer with the UNSC."

"Why?"

Hardgrave rubbed at his wrist, and glanced away awkwardly. No, not glancing away. Signalling. The trap was about to be sprung. Chief began to look around for potential threats, objects of use and methods of escape.

"This place is home to a higher power, one we cannot comprehend, only serve." Hardgrave began. "One so close to being freed. Your AI is helping accelerate our plan, and free the God-King."

A whirring noise rose, rising to a whine and then with a scream detonated. Chief's armour flared and cried out, the HUD flashing. EMP?. The force-multiplying circuits locked and unable to move, Chief collapsed to the ground.

Hardgrave turned and regarded the immobilised Spartan. He knelt down and stared deep into John's visor. "Of course, I had hoped to recruit you, to have you aid us in our goals, but I can tell you will not follow our path."

He stood up and gestured to something John couldn't see. Vaguely, he was aware of being lifted up and placed onto a gurney, strapped down. Hardgrave continued. "Your suit is one of the most advanced pieces of military hardware humanity has. It will be useful."

Chief attempted to struggle but the suit was still in lockdown. Wasn't it EMP shielded? He was sure it was. Whatever mechanism they had used was obviously more advanced than what the suit was designed to protect against. His HUD was still flashing. The ammunition counter kept flashing red, the motion tracker was flickering on and off showing nothing and everything as friendly and hostile. Messages about rebooting kept flashing above the tracker.

"Not an EMP, I'm afraid." Hardgrave explained. "Human cyber-warfare has advanced somewhat. We shut down your suit with a data pulse."

They started to wheel him towards the base. John couldn't see anything except the sort-of sky.

"Of course, I'm rather doubtful you'll just give us your MJOLNIR. So we'll take it from you." Hardgrave gave a weak chuckle as they entered the base. Sterile white ceiling and light fixtures were all John could see.

"Of course, it'll probably hurt…" Hardgrave trailed off.

Chief tried to keep track as he was wheeled through the base, although it was hard without any actual reference points. A right, a left. A set of doors, another left. He lost track. Eventually he was spun into some of technical or medical room. A set of precision laser projectors hung down from the ceiling. They were going to peel the MJOLNIR off him.

* * *

Miriam started as the 'pad she carried in her pocket vibrated. She had a message. She retrieved it with a frown, wondering who would be trying to contact using an email rather than simply hitting the com.

She managed to pull it out, and sure enough, the screen read she had one new message. Shrugging, she pressed OPEN and read.

_HE IS HERE. YOU ARE HIS ONLY HOPE. ROOM 13B. HURRY._

'He' obviously referred to John-117. Her mind flashed back to how Bishop Octavian had said to kill him if necessary. She frowned, room 13B was medical. Laser surgery. Why would they take him there? His armour? Miriam supposed it made sense. Even with all of humanities' technological advancement, the classified MJOLNIR design was one of the few working models of power armour.

But who was this? How did they know? As far as she knew, no one else had quite retained their independence since Lord Hardgrave had brought around the revelation.

She typed into her datapad _Who are you?_ and hit SEND.

Within seconds, she had her reply.

_I AM 05-032 MENDICANT BIAS. I ONCE BROUGHT DESTRUCTION, NOW I MAKE AMENDS. HE IS MY EXAMPLE._

* * *

The first lance of the red laser hurt, as did the second and third and fourth. However, they couldn't get through the MYTHRIL compound plating or nano-muscle, no matter how hard they tried. The HUD had managed to reboot, and had stopped flashing red warnings. The lasers were keeping the rest of the systems from coming back online though, namely the shields and movement-circuits. If he could just _move_, get free, his armour would be able to get back online in a few minutes, then he'd be able to fight his way out.

"_We can't get through sir_." A nervous voice rang out over the speakers. _"The armour's too strong."_

Hardgrave hissed a curse under his breath, and made his way to the exit. "So be it. Kill him. Preserve as much as you can."

One guard walked into Chief's view as the lasers stopped, barrel of his battle rifle aimed between Chief's eyes. He struggled defiantly against his bonds and the armour that was supposed to protect him to no avail.

Three gunshots rang out. John frowned. He was still alive? The soldier previously about to kill him collapsed in a heap and another moved into his view.

"Can you move?" Female. "My name is Miriam. I've come to get you out."

"How did you-"

"No time!" Miriam said quickly, undoing the straps that had bound Chief to the table. A few seconds later, his shields and other systems kicked in. Smiling grimly to himself, he sat up and scrutinised the woman in front of her. She seemed familiar. "Do I know you?"

"Sort of." She admitted. "I'll explain once we've got you out of here."

Normally, Chief would want answers, but time was short, so he followed Miriam out of the room and door the corridor.

"There's an armoury nearby." She explained. "We can arm up there."

John nodded. Alarms began to sound out as their escape was discovered, and Hardgrave's voice rang across the intercom: "_The Spartan has escaped. Treat as hostile. Execute on sight."_

Well. That was…optimistic. Obviously they didn't feel his MJOLNIR was worth the effort to keep him alive. To give Miriam her due, she seemed to take the announcement in stride. "This way." She said, breaking into a steady jog.

Surprisingly, suspiciously, they didn't run into any soldiers. Maybe it was John's supposed luck shining through. Maybe it was because they were all massing somewhere, locking down all the bases's exits and the airfield. After all, this was their base, they had the home-turf advantage. And it would be infinitely easier to keep Chief trapped inside the base and having to play by their rules than it would be to actively search for him, and therefore playing by his own rules. He was already running through plans of escape. The main gate would be too heavily guarded to try and blast through, which left stealing an aircraft and trying to avoid the anti-air guns on the way out. Not the most complex mission John had been a part of in his career, but there were far too many potential snags for his liking. They didn't know how many troops would be in the way, or their formations. Good intel was one of the few commodities John put any stock in.

John was so caught up in his planning he almost crashing into Miriam's back as she stopped. Sure enough, the words ARMORY 7 were printed in red above the door.

"Come on." Miriam said, thumbing the open button, "In here."

The armoury was lined with ranks of rifles, pistols, submachine guns and a plethora of ammunition and explosives. A sudden thought occurred to John. He didn't recognise any of the weapons. Some were obvious successors to ones he was familiar with, but others were of whole new weapon lines. It wouldn't be a problem, but Mendez had drummed into the Spartan-IIs the importance of knowing your tools of war. He had taught them how to use them, clean them and fix them. He forced them to learn their entire history, their statistics. How best to use them to their maximum effectiveness and how to use them outside of the intended parameters. Every weapon in the UNSC arsenal and a few that weren't; he was a master of them all. But these new weapons...

"You won't be familiar with all the new magnetic-based weapons will you?" Miriam asked thoughtfully.

Chief blanched behind his helmet. "Magnetic?"

"After the war, the techies figured out how to solve the power efficiency problem." Miriam explained, "Basically, every weapon we use got replaced by a magnetic version."

Fair enough, John decided. Magnetic-based weaponry trumped the older chemical ballistics in almost every way, discounting potential overheating issues and the necessity for EMP shielding. The rounds travelled faster, hit harder and the mechanism caused virtually no recoil. In some –most- examples of gauss or rail small arms, a primary is was in fact over-penetration. The M99 Stanchion rifle suffered from just such a problem. The rounds tore through the target and everything behind it. Far too messy for wider-ranged application.

"They fix the over-penetration problem then?"

"Pretty much. Deformable stuff rather than solid slugs."

A problem jumped into John's head. His armour's software wouldn't recognise the new armaments. It wouldn't be able to track ammunition or display a reticule. He knew from experience that the operating system would use placeholders from other weapons in its databanks, but the best accuracy came from custom integration.

Miriam was about to reach for an assault rifle when a lance of pain stabbed into the back of Chief's neck, so great and so unexpected it caused him to hunch over and clutch at his neck with a cry of pain. Then, quick as it had come, it was gone.

"Chief?" Miriam asked uncertainly, "You okay?"

"_The Reclaimer will be fine in due course._" A booming, commanding, clinically cold voice sound out. It was playing through both their personal radios. A neat trick. The Gravemind was able to do that, John recalled, on _High Charity _when he had broken in to rescue Cortana from its clutches.

"Who's that?" John said, scowling at whatever the voice had done.

"_I am the monument to my creator's failure. I am their betrayer._"

John frowned. Vaguely, his mind floated back to the Ark and the replacement Installation 04. He had found…terminals, for lack of a better term. Some sort of interface system with the Forerunner data network. When he had tried to access them, he had been shunted to some sort of diary log about two Forerunners, the Diadact and the Librarian. But there had also been hints, indicators of a sentient presence within the system. _I see you, Reclaimer._

"Mendicant Bias?" The Master Chief asked.

"_Indeed, Reclaimer._"

"You know this thing?" Miriam asked in surprise.

John nodded. "He's a Forerunner AI. One of the last; he was made to co-ordinate the Forerunner military against the Flood."

"Obviously didn't work." Miriam muttered dryly.

"Well, it doesn't help if your most advanced AI that you created specifically to fight the Flood decides to join them." John snorted, "Isn't that right?"

Cool, calm, collected. _"Yes._"

John nodded._ "_Onto business then. What did you just do to me?"

"_You and your combat skin have no experience with these weapons. I took the liberty of updating your skin's protocols and imparting information directly to you via your crude neural lace._"

Sure enough, when John again looked to the rows and rows of weapons, he realised that he recognised them, despite having never seen them before. MA10 assault rifle. M143 DMR. M6R pistol. "You…pushed information into my head?"

"_It was convenient._"

"Never do that again." Chief growled threateningly. Not only did it feel wrong to have knowledge without earning it, it was incredibly disconcerting not having a memory linked to acquiring the information. Not to mention he extremely disliked the idea of something being able to interact with his mind and memory like that.

"_Very well. Do you have a plan of escape?"_

An idea sprang to Chief's mind. "Could you teleport us out?"

"_No. The protocols here differ from the Halo array; you must be registered within the network._"

"Damn." Chief sighed. Nothing was every easy. "I guess we'll have to steal a bird then."

"That'll take a lot of fire-power." Miriam pointed out. She had a point. There would be dozens, if not in the region of a hundred soldiers in their way. They numbered two. And while they now had an armoury's worth of war material, two people weren't enough to use it all. Chief considered.

"I'll draw their fire while you sneak aboard a Pelican. I'm assuming Mendicant can show you how to?"

"_Yes."_

Miriam's eyes bulged. "You'll take on everyone? By yourself?"

Chief shrugged nonchalantly. The last few months of the war had seen him turn from a limb in a juggernaut team to a one-man army. The commanders constantly gave him tasks and pitted him against groups of enemies that would require whole marine teams to succeed. And he always managed it.

"We'll be fine."

* * *

_**A/N: **__I had hoped to include the escape sequence here, but I think it was better I got something out after so long. It's actually a bit longer than some of the other chapters already so yeah. Read and review and whatever else._

_Peace._


End file.
